Another day has passed at the Giro d’Italia and once again race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) has reason to smile.

“The stage was very tough today because the cold played such an important role,” Nibali told Rai Sport after successfully defending his leader’s jersey. “I tried to make a difference and gain some time in the finale but when I couldn’t break clear, I was happy to just sit on the wheels of someone else. That way I could not drag any of my rivals with me. The important thing is that another day has passed and that we still enjoy a solid lead in the general classification. The Giro is still long, so we’ll see what happens.”

Nibali also found the time to compare his racing in this year’s Giro d’Italia to his performance in last year’s Tour de France. “Nothing has changed compared to last year; at the Tour I was in the same form as I am in now but perhaps the conditions and the stages of the race didn’t allow me to step onto the uppermost step of the podium.” Unfortunately Nibali didn’t elaborate on how changes in the “conditions” and the “stages” might have helped him conquer the Tour.

Before moving into the warmth of his team bus, Nibali also commented on the alleged rivalry between him and Visconti, “I’m very pleased with Visconti’s win today. He definitely deserved it and I want to stress that were friends even though some people continuously try to create a rivalry between the two of us.”